This invention relates to a device for calling or attracting the attention of bull elk or other wild animals by game hunters. The invention has particular application in imitating the whistles of a bull elk as they apparently communicate with one another in the wild.
There are several deer calls known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,470,823 to Luch and Canadian Pat. No. 520,645 to Carhart both show calling devices. The Luch reference discloses a deer call constructed of two elongated members. The two members are elastically joined together with a support at a corner of the two members in such a manner as to leave an elongate cavity between the members. An endless rubber band is stretched around one of the members parallel to the longitudinal axis of the member and extends through the elongate cavity between the two members. By blowing into the cavity between the members, the rubber band is caused to vibrate thereby causing a sound to be formed. The pitch of the sound can be varied by compressing the two members together to vary the size of the cavity between the two members, the support acting as a fulcrum.
The Canadian Patent to Carhart describes another deer call comprising two relatively flat elongate members which are positioned facing one another in opposing relation. Each member has a carved out concave portion. These concave portions are positioned in face-to-face relation to form an elongate cavity between the two members. A rubber band is disposed around the two members to hold the members together and has a portion disposed within the elongate cavity to form a reed. A deer call sound is made by blowing into the cavity. To vary the pitch of the sound of this instrument the rubber band is stretched to the extent desired for a particular sound.
Further there are various toy musical instruments which are known such as described in British Patent Specification No. 615,809 which describes a toy squeaker having a pair of plates formed so that when positioned facing one another, a passage is defined. A first rubber band is wrapped around the pair of plates and has a portion thereof disposed within the passage to form a reed element. A second rubber band is used to hold the plates together. The plates may be tilted relatively to one another with the portion of the first rubber band passing between the edge portions of the plates providing aligned pivots or fulcrums about which the plates pivot.